Of course, that welcome would only extend as far as the locker room door, according to one coach.

“I don’t think the locker room would have any problem with it,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians recently told FOXSports.com. “The problem would be with the fans. I think especially opposing fans. Some of the things that are said are over the top and out of control that I can imagine what some fans would say to an openly gay player.”

It would be wonderful to think that Davis’ feeling comfortable at work was because our society is becoming more open-minded and accepting. More likely, it’s the simple pragmatism that most players will welcome anyone who helps them do their jobs.

If it’s a faulty step toward progress, at least it’s one in the right direction.

7 responses to “Gay former NFL player said he felt safest at work”

To most fans NFL players are just a source of entertainment. Most people will never really know a pro athlete, so in a way we have dehumanized them. For Professional Athletes its different, they get to know their teammates on a personal level, so when they come out it isn’t nearly as big a deal, it’s just/still Wade.

Arians is probably right that fans would be the worst. But that is also an interesting point. Some fans already will use anything to scream horrible insults at players, their families, their race, etc. So why is it so much MORE awful for them to scream insults about being gay? It isn’t worse, all of it is terrible behavior suited to 3rd grade playgrounds.

The more we as a nation divide and label based on race, sexual preference etc the more likely it is for people to insult other people using those things. There probably aren’t that many people who can prove exactly what races they are anyway. But we’re all human…that and one’s character are all that matters.

It’s almost like Tebow, there is so much talk about him that he’s given an importance that de jure is much greater than his de facto importance is. And people become resentful of him (or Favre, etc, any highly talked about player) because there is so much talk about them for little reason that it spills over onto resenting the person themselves (or the group).

Being gay or straight isn’t important. Having the same (not more, not fewer) rights and opportunities is what is important. I would guess that most minorities simply want to be treated as people, not the member of some group.

I don’t know why they call it “sexuality” because if you think about it it’s not really sex. Think about Bill Clinton definition of sex. They are really just masterbating together. Sorry, but it’s true. If they do it alone is it sex?